Waterbury evening Democrat., 1887-12-09
BUILDING PIANOS.
SOME CURIOUS FACTS REGARDING THEIR MANUFACTURE AND SALE.

SOME CURIOUS FACTS REGARDING
 THEIR MANUFACTURE AND SALE. Few Piano Factories Can
 Justly Claim to Make Their Own In-
 struments-Fancifd Names-Borrowing
 Good Solicitations Successful Tricks.
 Pianofortes are no longer manufactured, but are built. Only two or three of the hun dreds of piano factories in this country can justly claim to make their instruments from beginning to finish. Large establishments devoted to the manufacture of some particu- lar portions of the instrument have sprung up of late, and have so revolutionized the art of piano making that in some shops not sin gle part of the completed instrument is made in the factory.
 There are probably dozen places in New York and vicinity devoted exclusively to the making of cases. A like number make the beautiful and delicate piece of mechanism known as the action, and as many foundries cast the heavy iron plates which sustain the enormous strain of the strings. There are also manufacturers of sounding boards, and of wrest blanks, into which the tuning pins are set; carvers of legs, Tyres and trusses; inn porters of felts and cloths, ,winders of wrapped strings for the lower notes, and drawers of thinner wires for the upper notes
 Several large houses make speciality of pianoforte hardware, and half dozen cut ters of ivory supply complete keyboards with black keys of ebony and white keys of a me dium quality of ivory. Other establishments make keys of various compositions, princi- pally of celluloid, and even the stencil plates for the name are often furnished by the var nish dealer. Thus, nothing remains to be made at the factory but the name, and that is sometimes of the most adroit workman ship.
 One of the largest buildings on the west side of this city, with capacity of turning out the enormous number of sixty to seventy five completed instruments week, makes no part of the piano but the name, and quite frequently even that is furnished to them by the dealer who buys largely enough to jus tify having his own name put on as the maker. Sometimes name is manufactured having so close resemblance to that of some one of the best known makers as to mislead the unwary.
 UNDER FANCIFUL NAMES.
 Besides these, dozens of names, purely fanciful, are used by makers whose reputa- tion will not justify demanding high price
 
 not, however, to be inferred that all instru- ments built and put together like blocks in a puzzle are necessarily inferior.
 The quality of pianoforte depends upon two essentials scale, and the care with which it is constructed and finished. The scale is a matter of scientific accuracy in form, balance and proportions of the iron frame over which the strings are stretched, and its adjustment to the sounding board. This is generally most readily arrived at by borrowing from some leading maker. A first class piano is secured and taken to pieces, the frame or scale is copied, often by making a casting from the original plate, and the new manufacture is equipped with successful and disappointment incident to experiments in search of the new and the beautiful. Tho casemaker is next visited, and it is found that a moderate price will buy case suitable for high class instrument, and one less elaborate, made of lighter material, can be had for surprisingly small sum. While the case, which .is made of white wood and ash, veneered with something more expen- sive, is getting it's first coat of the stain which is to turn it into rosewood, ebony or cherry, the skilled workmen are putting the frame and sounding board together. The stringing is then done, the pins being driven | into place with a hammer instead of being carefully screwed in as in the old fashioned days of conscientious work and high prices. While this is in hand the case is glued to- gether, having received it's several coats oi varnish.
 1 More rosewood pianos are made than of all the other sorts combined; yet few are really veneered with rosewood nowadays This is because it is seldom that varnish will not | soon show small chinks and cracks on this veneer, and, as very close imitation can be produced by staining, it is usual to veneer the cases with mahogany or haywood or sometimes with cherry, and then transform | it into rosewood or ebony as preferred. Nc real ebony is ever used for similar reasons l and also because large pieces of ebony veneer ! cannot be had.
 l THE EIN1sHING TOUCHES. After the stain comes the vanishing This is frequently done by contract, the varnish 1 foreman receiving stated price for each in. 1 strument finished, hiring his own assistants and buying the varnish himself. After the case has joined company with the iron frame and sounding board the action is n1aced ir